the moderating influence of the technocratic Republican

Freddie

Freddie deBoer used to blog at lhote.blogspot.com, and may again someday. Now he blogs here.

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2 Responses

  1. Bob says:

    Two points:

    1. When you make statements like this,”Part of this can be explained by the financial crisis, but it’s also the case that there are many endemic problems which Schwarznegger has either failed to address or has helped create” please offer some examples I’m really not that familiar with California politics/economics. So, it is difficult to evaluate your position, what you have in mind.

    2. Likewise this, “I don’t know, I guess I just feel that American politics have become so personality driven that we are unable to see the value of given movements beyond the degree to which they are tethered to individual politicians.”

    Too many years have passed since I was required to read Thomas Carlyle but I think he spent a lot of time trying to determine the place of “men” versus events in driving history. ( A question impossible of any satisfactory answer. Am I being too absolute? ) But I guess I see American politics as being “personality driven” or at least heavily influenced by the man as opposed to ideas. (I’d rather have a beer with Jefferson than Adams.)

    I’m not claiming ideology is beside the point, it is NOT. For me ideology IS at the front. That is why I criticize President Obama on many issues. For example, investigate and prosecute, if necessary, Bush administration law breakers.

    To sum-up, I can’t place primacy with either personality or ideology historically, but “personality driven” politics is nothing new.Report

  2. anon says:

    I think he just has to deal with a crappy legislature. He ends up proposing some decent legislation and vetoing some crappy legislation. Ultimately, however, he is part of the executive branch, and has limited power over the policies that reach his desk.Report